10 Video Game Worlds to Explore IRL

New York City is often recreated but the most recent version in Marvel's Spider-Man is the most accurate digital Manhattan you can explore. Even the height of the skyscrapers is proportionate as the One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the game.

The fictional Los Santos, based on Los Angeles, is one of the most accurately recreated cities the video game industry has ever seen. Visit the Santa Monica Pier or the Griffith Observatory to compare the resemblance.

This condensed digital replica of Hong Kong accurately represents the city's environment. The most recognizable landmarks you can visit today is the Causeway Bay Circular Footbridge and the Bank of China Tower.

Watch Dogs 2 recreates many of the iconic San Francisco landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Prison and parts of Silicon Valley. Head over to the East Bay area into Oakland and see the Prescott and Fruitvale neighborhoods in breathtaking detail.

After playing through Boston and Pittsburgh, The Last of Us takes you to the finale in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's here you can explore Temple Square and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on a very realistic scale. The fictional Saint Mary's Hospital where your adventure takes you is based on Saint Mark's Hospital in real-life Salt Lake City.

Have you ever completed a video game and wished you could explore its world even more IRL—in real life?

Luckily for you, many video games today are based on real-world destinations that you can currently visit. From the beaches of Los Angeles to the islands of Greece, video game designers have painstakingly recreated these destinations in a virtual world. Some of these remakes are so precise you'll be comparing screenshots of the games to your travel selfies.

You may not be able to vacation to the fantasy realms of Middle Earth or Hyrule but the locations on this list are waiting for you to visit.

Tyler Carnahan

About the author

Tyler Carnahan is originally from Orlando, Florida, and has lived in the Augusta,...